4 players crucial for post-international break title push

With their trashing of Crystal Palace, Arsenal enter the international break eight points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table.

Everyone connected with the club will be watching the international games anxiously, hoping everyone can come back fit. After that, it is a run of ten games until the end of the campaign.

Arsenal have managed this season well. Europa League games, until recently, have allowed them to rotate the squad. Mikel Arteta and Edu have also brought in capable options in January, allowing subs to be made earlier in matches. Managing a squad through periods of poor form and injury is not easy but Arteta has done well doing so.

4 players crucial for post-international break title push

He will have to continue to get the best out of this young but balanced squad after the international break. Here are three players that are crucial for the post-break title charge.

4. Gabriel

Gabriel has been colossal at the back for Arsenal this season. While the pieces around him have been chopped and changed, he has remained ever-present in that backline and rightly so. His unique blend of physicality, athleticism, defensive nous and ball playing lets Arsenal shut out the opposition.

The Brazilian has passed every test he has faced this season. Against physical strikers like Aleksandar Mitrovic or more nuanced players like Diogo Jota, Gabriel has stood firm. What has been remarkable beyond all else is his improvement in nearly every aspect of his game.

His ability in the air continues to impress as he asserts himself in both boxes. His reading of the game has grown, as has his once-questioned ability on the ball. He has also cut out moments of madness or recklessness in recent games, proving he can be the stalwart Arsenal need.

With William Saliba’s injury more serious than first thought, Gabriel will have to continue to impress if Arsenal are to have any chance of winning the Premier League.

Continued on the next slide…